The Best Short-Term Bond Mutual Funds

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The table below compares the performance and other essential indicators like dividend yield and expense ratio of Short-Term Bond mutual funds.

Number of Funds: 140
Avg. Expense Ratio: 0.56%
Avg. Yield: 4.23%
Avg. 1 Year Return: 4.22%
Median Risk/Return Score: 73 / 100

134 results

Symbol	Full Name	Category	Inception	Expense Ratio	YTD Return	10Y Return (Annualized)	Dividend Yield	Risk / Return Rank
CPPAX	American Funds Preservation Portfolio	Short-Term Bond	May 18, 2012	0.61%	0.13%	1.64%	3.49%	26
CSDAX	Calvert Short Duration Income Fund	Short-Term Bond	Jan 31, 2002	0.76%	0.69%	2.67%	4.35%	68
CSHTX	AB Taxable Multi-Sector Income Shares	Short-Term Bond	Sep 15, 2010	0.00%	1.21%	2.55%	4.46%	89
CSTIX	Calamos Short-Term Bond Fund	Short-Term Bond	Sep 19, 2018	0.40%	0.46%	—	4.19%	69
DBLSX	DoubleLine Low Duration Bond Fund	Short-Term Bond	Sep 30, 2011	0.41%	1.38%	2.86%	4.53%	97
DBPIX	DWS Short Duration Fund	Short-Term Bond	Dec 23, 1998	0.50%	0.93%	2.83%	4.35%	66
DFAIX	DFA Short-Duration Real Return Portfolio	Short-Term Bond	Nov 5, 2013	0.22%	2.29%	3.27%	4.55%	98
DFCFX	DFA Two-Year Fixed Income Portfolio	Short-Term Bond	Jun 6, 1996	0.21%	1.83%	2.50%	2.92%	90
DFEQX	DFA Short-Term Extended Quality Portfolio	Short-Term Bond	Mar 4, 2009	0.19%	1.79%	1.93%	4.11%	97
DHEAX	Diamond Hill Short Duration Securitized Bond Fund	Short-Term Bond	Jul 5, 2016	0.83%	2.06%	—	5.17%	99
DHEIX	Diamond Hill Short Duration Securitized Bond Fund ...	Short-Term Bond	Jul 5, 2016	0.53%	2.09%	—	5.43%	99
DLDFX	Destinations Low Duration Fixed Income Fund	Short-Term Bond	Mar 20, 2017	0.93%	1.83%	—	5.32%	96
DLSNX	DoubleLine Low Duration Bond Fund Class N	Short-Term Bond	Sep 30, 2011	0.70%	1.28%	2.60%	4.29%	97
DSTIX	BNY Mellon Short Term Income Fund	Short-Term Bond	Aug 18, 1992	0.60%	0.67%	2.03%	4.63%	54
DTCPX	DFA Targeted Credit Portfolio	Short-Term Bond	May 20, 2015	0.20%	1.90%	2.11%	4.03%	82
DTRIX	Delaware Limited-Term Diversified Income Fund	Short-Term Bond	Nov 25, 1985	0.64%	0.60%	2.08%	3.98%	74
FCFAX	Frost Credit Fund	Short-Term Bond	Dec 3, 2012	0.96%	1.91%	5.26%	5.66%	66
FGCSX	Federated Hermes Short-Interm Total Ret Bd Fd	Short-Term Bond	Sep 2, 2005	0.63%	0.41%	1.83%	3.82%	59
FIJEX	Frost Total Return Bond Fund	Short-Term Bond	Apr 25, 2008	0.46%	1.70%	3.50%	5.19%	35
FILDX	Frost Low Duration Bond Fund	Short-Term Bond	Apr 25, 2008	0.43%	0.81%	2.22%	3.88%	70

Risk vs. Return Scatterplot

The Risk vs. Return Scatterplot allows you to quickly compare funds, stocks, and ETFs in one view. It displays the yearly return of an instrument on one axis and the risk (volatility) on the other.

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Time Period

Best Short-Term Bond Mutual funds by Risk/Return Score

The top Short-Term Bond Mutual funds by PortfoliosLab Risk/Return Score are GPICX (99) and DHEIX (99). The score measures risk-adjusted performance over the past year, accounting for volatility, drawdown, and return consistency.

Symbol	Name	Risk / Return Rank	AUM	Inception
GPICX	GuidepathConservative Income Fund	99	—	Apr 2018
DHEIX	Diamond Hill Short Duration Securitized Bond Fund ...	99	—	Jul 2016
DHEAX	Diamond Hill Short Duration Securitized Bond Fund	99	—	Jul 2016
DFAIX	DFA Short-Duration Real Return Portfolio	98	—	Nov 2013
DBLSX	DoubleLine Low Duration Bond Fund	97	—	Sep 2011

Best-Performing Short-Term Bond Mutual funds Over 5 Years

The top Short-Term Bond Mutual funds is LCCMX (5.50%). Across the lineup, Short-Term Bond Mutual funds show an average 1-year return of 4.22% and an average 5-year return of 2.54%, providing a clearer view of performance across different investment horizons.

Symbol	Name	Return 5Y	AUM	Inception
LCCMX	Leader Short Term High Yield Bond Fund	5.50%	—	Jul 2005
DHEIX	Diamond Hill Short Duration Securitized Bond Fund ...	4.60%	—	Jul 2016
TSDLX	T. Rowe Price Short Duration Income Fund	4.57%	—	Dec 2020
RCTIX	River Canyon Total Return Bond Fund	4.55%	—	Dec 2014
ASHAX	Virtus Newfleet Short Duration High Income Fund Cl...	4.45%	—	Feb 2017

Lowest-Cost Short-Term Bond Mutual funds

The top Short-Term Bond Mutual funds is VISTX (0.02%). With an average expense ratio of 0.56%, Short-Term Bond Mutual funds remain a low-cost option for investors seeking broad market exposure, sector allocations, and diversified portfolio building blocks.

Symbol	Name	Expense Ratio	AUM	Inception
VISTX	Vanguard Institutional Short-Term Bond Fund	0.02%	—	Jun 2015
VIITX	Vanguard Institutional Intermediate-Term Bond Fund	0.02%	—	Jun 2015
FUMBX	Fidelity Short-Term Treasury Bond Index Fund	0.03%	—	Dec 2005
SWSBX	Schwab Short-Term Bond Index Fund	0.06%	—	Feb 2017
TNSHX	TIAA-CREF Short-Term Bond Index Fund	0.09%	—	Aug 2015

Highest-Yield Short-Term Bond Mutual funds

The top Short-Term Bond Mutual funds is LCCMX (8.57%). Across the lineup, Short-Term Bond Mutual funds show an average dividend yield of 4.23%, offering investors a steady stream of income through regular dividend payments, making them attractive for income-seeking portfolios.

Symbol	Name	Dividend Yield	AUM	Inception
LCCMX	Leader Short Term High Yield Bond Fund	8.57%	—	Jul 2005
RCTIX	River Canyon Total Return Bond Fund	6.55%	—	Dec 2014
HOBEX	Holbrook Income Fund	5.81%	—	Jul 2016
ASHAX	Virtus Newfleet Short Duration High Income Fund Cl...	5.75%	—	Feb 2017
BATAX	BlackRock Allocation Target Shares Series A Portfo...	5.73%	—	Sep 2015

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